The Vanderbilt University Writing Supplement requires a response to a single prompt, approximately 250 words in length.
Required Prompt
Personal Growth & Community Contribution
"Vanderbilt University’s motto, Crescere aude, is Latin for “dare to grow.” In your response, reflect on how one or more aspects of your identity, culture, or background has played a role in your personal growth, and how it will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt."
Vanderbilt 'Dare to Grow' Essay Slides
Q: What is the prompt really asking?
A:
Identify an aspect of your identity, culture, or background.
Explain how it shaped your personal development.
Describe how this growth will benefit the Vanderbilt community.
Keep "Dare to grow" as the central theme.
Q: What's the story only you can tell?
A:
Pick a specific lens, not a general label.
Example: Not "I'm a musician," but "My role as first-chair cellist taught me how to lead diverse personalities through complex pieces."
Focus on an active role, not a passive state.
Example: Not "my cultural background," but "My family’s tradition of communal gardening taught me shared stewardship."
Q: How did you dare to grow?
A:
Show, don't tell. Describe a specific incident where your perspective led to a key outcome.
Example: "Live performance pressure forced me to confront perfectionism. I delegated solos, trusting my section, which transformed my leadership."
The growth must be a direct result of the chosen identity aspect.
Q: What will you build at Vanderbilt?
A:
Connect your insight to a specific action at Vanderbilt.
Example: "My experience with delegated leadership will translate to mentoring new members in the 'Vanderbilt Orchestral Society'."
Reference specific resources. Name a professor, lab, or student organization.
Example: "My skill in resolving conflicts will serve the 'Vandy Community Gardens' club as we manage plot distribution."
Q: How to structure your story?
A:
Opening (75 words): State your identity aspect and the initial situation.
Body (150 words): Detail the conflict and the specific growth it produced.
Closing (100 words): Bridge this growth to an actionable contribution at Vanderbilt.
